Family
by Emmi30307
Summary: A.U. "Where are we going?" He smirked and squeezed her hand. "If I told you then it wouldn't be a surprise." She pouted, sticking out her bottom lip. "Richie…where are we?" He smiled at her before motioning for her to get out of the car. She did so and moved over to where her husband was waiting for her a few feet away. It was too dark out for Rachel to see the sign.
1. Chapter 1

Family

Chapter 1

"Rachel?" Richard was your average loving husband. Tall, fit, strong, and very attentive. "Honey, I'm home." He wandered through their house, wondering where she was. The couple had just moved into the home and had just unpacked the last box the night before. Moving up to the second floor he made his way to their room.

"Rae? You awake?" She was curled in a ball in the middle of their california king bed. He sat down on the bed behind her and put a hand on her arm, rubbing small circles. She rolled over so she was facing him, a little white stick in her hands. He didn't need to ask what it was, he already knew.

She couldn't meet his gaze as she shook her head, laying the pregnancy test on the bed between them. "I'm sorry Richie…" They had been trying to get pregnant for months now but still hadn't had any luck. This was the fifth negative test in as many weeks.

Richard glanced across the room at the clock, it was still early enough. Looking back to his beautiful wife he took her hands and pulled her to her feet. "Go get dressed, we're going out."

She looked up at him sighing, "Do we have to? I'm not really up to going anywhere."

He smirked at her, running a hand through her long beautiful black hair. "Getting dressed or not is your choice, bit you do _not_ have a choice about coming out with me." She sighed one more time before walking over to her closet and pulling on some clothes, throwing her pajamas on the chair to her makeup table.

Richard took her hand smiling and leaned down to give her a chaste kiss. They had been married just over a year and had been trying for over six months to start a family, but hadn't had any luck yet. He knew that it was upsetting her, and he hated it.

"Where are we going?" He smirked and squeezed her hand. "If I told you then it wouldn't be a surprise." She pouted, sticking out her bottom lip.

"I hate surprises." He knew she did, but he also knew that she would love this one. And he promised her that as they climbed into the car.

Twenty minutes later Richard parked the car in an empty parking lot. "Richie…where are we?" He smiled at her before motioning for her to get out of the car. She did so and moved over to where her husband was waiting for her a few feet away.

Once she was within his reach he looped his arm around her waist and led them down the street and around the corner. "Where are we going?" She asked again, whining quietly. He smiled down at her before gesturing to a doorway across the street.

It was too dark out for Rachel to see the sign, and there weren't any streetlights close enough. He knocked on the door three times, smiling when there was an eruption of noise on the other side of the door. She looked up at him, confused.

"Rich-" She stopped when the door in front of them opened up revealing part of a brightly lit hallway.

"Please, do come in. My names Kori by the way." A lady in her mid-forties opened the door, dressed in a simple t-shirt and jeans. She stepped out of the way glancing down the hallway where two little boys were sticking their heads out of a doorway. Once they realized they had been seen they ducked out of sight.

"Would you like to have a look around, go meet some of the kids?" Kori said, smiling at the couple.

"Why don't you go on ahead Rae, I'll be there in a minute." He gave her a quick kiss on the cheek before walking off with Kori. She watched him walk away, talking quietly with the older woman. When they rounded the corner she went looking around the house.

Walking past a doorway she glanced in to find a group of younger boys playing with cars on the floor. Looking into the next room she saw ten or twelve kids watching T.V. on their stomachs on the floor. Leaning in the doorway she noticed a little boy with a stuffed animal by himself in the corner. Slowly she made her way over to him, some of the kids looking at her and waving as she passed.

"Hi," She got down on her knees about a foot and a half away from him. He looked up at her with hazel eyes that complemented his caramel brown hair perfectly. He couldn't have been more than five or six years old.

He waved a little. "What's your name?"

"Cody." He said quietly. The teddy bear was sitting in his lap, and he picked it up and hugged it. "I like your bear. Does he have a name?"

Cody nodded slightly, gently petting the top of the teddy bears head. "Teddy…" Rachel smiled and laughed quietly. "Thats a good name."

Richard and the older woman stood in the doorway to the living room. He smiled as the little boy held the teddy bear out to his wife showing it to her. Looking at Kori, he wondered how she managed to take care of all these poor children. "I think she found someone…"

He nodded, agreeing with Kori. Walking over to the pair he put a hand on Rachels shoulder before getting down on one knee next to her. "Hey buddy, what's your name?"

Cody instantly pulled the teddy bear back against his chest, trying to hide his face.

"Cody?" He looked up when Kori called his name. "Come here," the child obeyed, looking at Richard uneasily as he went by him. "Rachel, do you want to bring Cody home with us? Even if it's only for a few days, see if maybe he'd like us to adopt him?"

Rachel tore her eyes off the little boy when she heard the word 'adopt'. Somehow the thought hadn't even crossed her mind. Getting off the floor they walked back over to the door and Rachel crouched down behind Cody, lightly putting a hand on his shoulder. "Cody, would you like to come home with us?" He nodded and slowly moved forward to give Rachel a hug. She wrapped her arms around the small boy, glancing up at Richard.

When Cody finally let go of Rachel he took her hand, pulling gently. Richard stood behind her and squeezed her shoulders, telling her to go with Cody while he started on the paperwork and she could come and add her signature after. He watched her get pulled by Cody upstairs to where he assumed the bedrooms were.

"Right this way Mr. Grayson and we'll take care of the paperwork." Kori said leading him to her office, rattling off a few things about Cody, confirming Rachels thoughts that he was five. She gave him a clipboard with a packet of papers to fill out. While he worked on the packet, Kori rifled through some filing cabinets, when she finally found what she was looking for she sat down at her desk with something in hand. Cody and Rachel came in a few moments later, him never letting go of her hand.

"Cody, how about you go ask Samantha to help you get your things together, and wait on the bench when you're done, alright?" He nodded before leaving the office, looking over his shoulder at Rachel only once before disappearing from view.

"He doesn't talk much does he?" Rachel mused, still looking at the door he had shut behind him.

"No, he's one of the quietest kids here. He doesn't have that many friends either. He's been here close to two years now, and doesn't have that much that he really cares about." Richard glanced up from the papers, "Except for that bear?" Kori nodded. "He is inseparable from that old toy, it means the world to him."

"Hmm," Richard mused passing the clipboard to Rachel so she could sign as well. "Sounds like you when you were little Rae. Didn't you tell me you use to carry around a stuffed raven?" She fought back a blush while nodding, skimming the pages as she signed and initialed when needed, handing the packet back to Kori when she had finished.

"And I thought you might like to see this," Kori slid a photograph across the desk for the couple to look at. It was of Cody with his parents, his mother looking surprisingly a lot like Rachel. They were all silent for a moment before Kori spoke up again asking, "Do you have a car seat for him?"

Rachel shook her head and took Richards hand. She still couldn't believe they were doing this. Kori walked over to a closet and pulled out a blue booster seat. Reaching forward Richard grabbed it with his free hand before turning towards the door. Walking out of the office they found Cody sitting on a bench with his arms wrapped around an older girls waist, her own arm draped over his shoulders. He looked up as the group of adults walked towards him. "Will I see you again?" Cody asked, looking up at Samantha.

She smiled down at him. "I'm sure these nice people will let you come back and visit if you want to."

"Are you ready Cody?" Rachel asked as she picked up his suitcase with his few clothes and tooth brush and tooth paste in it. He nodded slowly as she offered him a hand. Samantha gave him an encouraging nudge. He looked up to Rachel nervously, "Can I see Sammy again?" He pointed to the girl sitting on the bench, his bear still in hand.

"Of course you can Cody, you can come visit whenever you want." Richard promised with a smile. Cody moved and took Rachels hand, putting her between himself and Richard.

Later that night Rachel had tucked Cody into bed in her and Richards room. He whispered a quiet goodnight as she turned off the light and cracked the door on her way out. She went downstairs to the living room where her husband was watching football on their flat screen T.V. Standing behind the couch Rachel slid her hands over his shoulders, he turned slightly and easily pulled her over the back of the couch so she was sitting in his lap.

"Is Cody asleep?" She nodded leaning against his chest as he laid them down. "I promised him earlier that I would sleep with him." Richard nodded wrapping an arm over her stomach and tracing light circles along her ribs as she closed her eyes.

"I'll sleep out here on the couch." Her eyes instantly snapped open. Pushing herself up on one arm she frowned at him. "Why? I'm pretty sure that bed is big enough for the three of us." He shook his head, resting his forehead on hers briefly. "I don't think it's a good idea. Cody hasn't really warmed up to me like he has with you." Her frown deepened, her bottom lip sticking out.

Richard smiled at her. "I'll be fine. We can go out and get him a bed and stuff tomorrow, set up one of the empty rooms for him." His smile grew tenfold when he saw her eyes light up with excitement. He glanced at the clock, realizing it was after eleven already. Sitting up, he quickly scooped her up in his arms and started towards their room. "Now if my memory serves me, I believe kids have a tendency to get up early. So I believe you should be getting to sleep."

Gingerly he put her feet back on the floor once he had reached the door to their room. With her arms looped around his neck, she reached up on her tip toes and gave him a soft kiss, murmuring against his lips, "I love you Richie." Pulling away from her tempting lips he smiled. "I love you too Rachel." Giving her one last quick kiss, he went back downstairs to his couch for the night.

With a smile still gracing her lips, Rachel silently went into the bedroom and slid between the blankets. Just as she was getting comfortable Cody rolled towards her, wrapping her arm around him she let herself drift off.


	2. Chapter 2

Family

Chapter 2

Just like Richard had said the night before, Cody was up early. It was barely seven when he woke Rachel up asking about breakfast. Getting out of bed she arched her back and walked out of the room with Cody, neither bothering to get dressed yet.

"Cody, why don't you go wake Richard up? Tell him it's time for breakfast." She suggested when they reached the bottom of the stairs, nudging him in the direction of her husband. She thought this might be a good chance for them to start warming up to each other. The little boy looked up at her nervously. "Will he be gwumpy?" Rachel gave him a smile and shook her head. "No he won't be grumpy, he'll probably be excited that it's breakfast time." Cody still looked uneasy as he walked to the living room, looking for Richard.

Cody peeked over the back of the couch and poked Richard lightly in the side of the head before ducking out of sight. He poked the older man again. "Wake up…" Richard shifted, slowly opening his eyes and looking around. Cody peeked over the top of the couch and immediately ducked back down when he realized Richard was sitting up looking around. "Cody I know you're there. Come on out." His voice was light and encouraging, knowing that the boy was still uneasy.

Cody slowly crawled around the side of the couch, and stuck his head over the arm nervously. "Yes…?" He smiled and held out his hand to Cody as he stood up. "Why don't we go start breakfast? We can make whatever you want." Cody gave him a small smile at that but didn't take the hand offered to him. Instead he clutched his teddy to his chest with both hands. They walked to the kitchen, side by side figuring out what to make for breakfast.

In the kitchen Richard picked up Cody and sat him on the counter by the stove, and Cody put his teddy bear on the counter right next to him. "So, what do we want for breakfast this morning?" Cody watched him cross the kitchen and open the pantry. "I can pick?" He never got to pick back at the orphanage. "What is bweakfast food?" Richard looked over at the boy, realizing he was on the skinnier side. "How about homemade waffles?" Rachel stood in the doorway to the kitchen, smiling when Cody nodded his head. Richard handed Cody a whisk asking if he could help and mix everything together. Taking the whisk, he looked at it carefully, running his fingers along it. He looked up finally noticing Rachel. She put a finger to her lips and silently moved behind Richard who was digging through the fridge with a few eggs in hand, muttering to himself a list of ingredients. Leaning in next to him, she slid her cold fingers under his shirt along his back. Richard reflexively jerked, smacking his head on the inside of the fridge and crushing the eggs he had been holding. "Ouch! Damn it, Rae."

She stepped back, trying to keep from laughing while Cody was still sitting on the counter openly laughing. Richard stepped away from the refrigerator with crushed egg shells in one and egg yolk all over his pants and feet. "Watch your tongue Richie," she lectured lightly. "There's a little boy in the room." Leaning in, Richard whispered in her ear, "You're gonna pay for that Rach, just you wait." His tone was light, and he smirked when he pulled back and walked over to the sink dropping in the broken shells, grabbing paper towels he wiped the yolk off his foot before going back to the fridge for more eggs with Cody still laughing in the background.

Two hours later, the three of them had eaten breakfast, the kitchen had been cleaned, and they were all dressed for the day in the car on the way to the mall. "So we need clothes, shoes, sheets, and a bed, and Cody you get to pick everything out." Rachel wondered how they were going to afford everything that they wanted to get. Richard glanced at the boy in the rearview mirror. "Wealy?" Excitement was leaking out of his voice. She laughed at the little boy. "Of course!" Once they had parked, Cody set to work on unbuckling himself, which he had proudly showed Rachel the night before. "Hold someones hand Cody," Richard started as he climbed out of the car. He immediately reached for Rachels hand. Wrapping an arm around her shoulders, Richard led them into the mall.

Later that night after all the shopping had been done and dinner had been eaten, Cody was downstairs in the living room watching cartoons in his new doggie pajamas while Richard and Rachel were setting up his new bed. "Richie, buying all this stuff for him won't get us into any trouble, will it?" He stopped and looked over his shoulder at her. He was the son of a billionaire, but refused to depend on Bruce's money for everything so they lived off the paycheck he got from being the C.E.O at Wayne Enterprises. "We'll be fine honey, just because I don't like to use that money doesn't mean we can't." She nodded hesitantly and went back to hanging clothes in the closet. Richard got off the floor and went over to his wife, encircling her in his arms. "Hey, it's going to be fine. I promise." She turned around in his arms and looked up into his eyes. "But Dick, I know how much you hate depending on that money, that's why we don't use it. It stresses you out." She only called him 'Dick' when something was really bothering her. With a small smile he leaned down and kissed the frown lines on her forehead. "I'm okay with dipping into it with good reason, that's not being dependent on it. Don't worry about it alright?" She nodded and he leaned down to kiss her. She moaned quietly as he pulled her tighter against him. Rachel suddenly pulled back, feeling like someone was watching them.

Cody stood in the doorway, hands behind his back with his bears feet nearly brushing the floor. "Wanna come try out your new bed?" Richard asked as he released Rachel and walked over to it. He slowly moved to the bed, looking as if it might bite him if he moved too quickly. Rachel pulled the blankets back and Richard picked Cody up to lay him in bed. As soon as his feet left the floor though, Cody started kicking and screaming. Richard sat on the edge of the bed with him in his lap but couldn't calm him. Thats when it finally clicked for Rachel and she realized where she had seen this behavior before. Sitting next to her husband, she extended her arms to Cody and as she expected, he reached for her and buried his face in her chest shaking like a leaf. "Shhh, Cody. It's okay now. We won't hurt you." He looked up at her and she used her sleeve to dry his tears. "We won't hurt you." Cody pointed at Richard and whimpered. "Richard won't hurt you Cody." Rachel held him until he fell asleep, whispering that they weren't going to hurt him. Once he was asleep Rachel laid him in the bed and pulled the blankets to his chin. Taking Richards hand, she led him out of the room.

"What was that about?" Was the first thing Richard asked once their bedroom door had been shut behind them. Rachel walked over to the closet and started changing into pajamas. She glanced at him before pulling her pajama shirt over her head. "I've seen that kind of behavior before." She stated, looking for pajama pants and using that as her excuse to not meet his gaze. Richard watched her carefully as he changed into his pajama pants. She turned towards the bed but he grabbed her hand. He wasn't sure he liked where this was heading. "Rae, where have you seen that behavior before?" She still wouldn't look at him. "Rachel? What aren't you telling me?" His voice was just above a whisper. He saw her reach for her necklace, a golden 'R' that he had gotten her for their anniversary and tug on it gently, a nervous habit she had recently started with. Tilting her head back she looked at the ceiling. "I think Cody was abused by someone, judging his behavior I'd guess some guy in his life, maybe his father." She knew he was going to keep pushing, especially after she had said that. But she felt if he understood then maybe it would be easier for him and Cody.

That just made Richard even more nervous. "Where have you seen this behavior before Rachel?" He asked as he turned her around, his voice was harsher than he had meant but she was beginning to scare him. She looked up at him, closing her eyes against the single tear that fell. "I've seen that behavior in myself. When I was younger, my father abused me. He beat my mother to death in front of me when I was seven." She said it so emotionlessly, trying to keep the pain that she had buried all those years ago at bay. "But, I've met you're folks. They're good people." She shook her head, wiping the tear away with the palm of her hand. "They're friends of my parents, took me in after my mom was killed and my father was hauled away to prison."

Richard pulled her against him, not sure what else there was to say or do. He could feel her shake slightly. But moments later she pulled out of his arms and moved towards their bed and crawled to the middle of it. He followed her immediately and pulled her back into his arms, realizing that if it had been Cody's dad that had hurt him in some way then he would have to be very cautious with him. "You are so smart, you know that right sweetie?" She looked up at him and he tapped the tip of her nose ever so lightly. "I don't know if I ever would have figured that out on my own."

She gave him a small smile before yawning. "I love you Richie." Leaning down he gave her a soft kiss whispering, "I love you too, Rae." She easily drifted off to sleep while he traced light figure eights on her back. Richard couldn't help but wonder why she had never brought up her parents, he had told her about his back when they met in college. Deciding not to dwell on it, he quietly slipped out of bed and walked down to the room the Cody was in. He carefully walked up to the bed and ran his fingers through the boys hair before making his way back to his own bed. Laying down with Rachel again he pulled her against his chest and she rolled over in her sleep, pressing her back against him. He now realized a lot of her behavior early on in their relationship made much more sense now that he knew about her father.

The next morning Richard woke to the soft squeak of the bedroom door opening. He sat up on one elbow and looked at the alarm clock on Rachels side of the bed, five after seven. Cody was standing in the doorway, clutching his teddy bear with both hands. He tensed as Richard got out of bed and slowly walked towards the door, ready to run and hide. Richard crouched down a few feet in front of him. "Morning Cody." He took a slow step back. "Want to come and help me start breakfast?" A slow nervous nod. He stood on his tip toes and looked to the bed where Rachel was still sound asleep.

Richard put a finger to his lips and smiled at the boy before they walked downstairs to the kitchen. Snagging the bread box off the top of the fridge he put it on the counter. "Cody, why don't you put your teddy bear here so it doesn't get dirty?" Richard suggested pulling at chair from the table and sticking it in front of the counter so Cody could stand on it. They worked in mostly silence, Cody constantly looking over from whatever he was doing to make sure his bear was still there. Once the pancake batter had been mixed, Cody set the table while Richard grilled them on the stove.

"Want to go wake Rachel up?" Before Richard could even blink Cody had run out of the room, what surprised him was that the bear was still sitting on the counter.

Cody stopped in the doorway. Rachel was sleeping on the side of the bed, one hand hanging over the edge like she was reaching for something. Walking forward he took her hand and tugged gently, smiling when her eyes fluttered open. "Morning Cody," she looked at the other side of the empty bed wondering where her lover had gone. Sitting up she stretched asking, "Where's Teddy?" Cody looked at his hands, just realizing the bear wasn't in them and ran to the top of the stairs, pointing down.

Rachel followed him, leaning on the wall as her stomach turned and the hall spun. After a moment, she was able to stand up and continue downstairs. By the time she made it to the kitchen Cody was sitting on the floor happily hugging his bear. Richard walked over to her and wrapped her in his arms, giving her a soft kiss. With a quiet sigh, she rested her forehead against his chest for a second before sitting at the table where the plates had been filled with delicious looking pancakes.

Cody climbed onto a chair and dug into his breakfast. Richard chuckled at the boys behavior and reached across the table taking Rachels hand in his. After an uneventful breakfast Richard dressed and got ready for work. As he was walking out the door he ducked his head into the kitchen where Cody was once again standing on a chair helping Rachel with the dishes. "Hey, don't forget we're having dinner with Bruce tonight." Rachel turned and smiled. "I know, it's usually me reminding you. Now go to work." She finished with a chuckle.

As the day went on Rachel cleaned the house while Cody trailed after her, just content to be in the room with her. Every now and then he'd ask questions about something but most of the time he would just pick a spot on the floor and play with Teddy. "Cody, who gave you Teddy?" She wondered where his favorite toy had come from. He was sitting on the top of the dryer while Rachel loaded the washer. "Mommy did. We pwayed together." She threw one of Richards work shirts in the washer. "What happened to her?" She pressed surprised she was getting answers. Cody played with the bear in his lap as he said, "She went away." She moved closer and ran a gentle hand through his hair. "Did your dad ever play with you?" He shook his head. "Daddy was mean." She quickly started the washer and picked the little boy up, carrying him. "Want to go and watch some cartoons?" He nodded.

Walking around the couch, she dropped him onto the cushions making him squeal. "I'm home." Rachel and Cody looked at each other. "Go stand next to the door, let's scare him." Cody nodded excitedly as he scrambled off the couch and went and hid by the door.

"Rach? Cody?" He was getting closer. Rachel settled on the couch, laying down, realizing how tired she was. "Honey?" Richard asked spotting her on the couch. "Where's Cody?" As soon as he walked through the door, Cody yelled, "BOO!" Richard turned around laughing, "Hello to you too kiddo." Cody ran past him and curled up on the couch with Rachel. Leaning on the arm of the couch, looking down at the two people in front of him he realized that he would be more than happy with this family. "Can I lay down too?" Rachel smiled up at him and moved to the inside half of the couch while Cody scrambled backwards. She sat up but Richard put a hand on her shoulder and crouched on the floor in front of Cody. "I won't hurt you Cody. Don't be scared." Cody shook his head, climbing over the arm of the couch and running for the stairs. Rachel sighed and got up. "Let me talk to him, then we'll have to head out." Richard watched her go and decided he wanted a shower before they left.

"Cody?" Rachel called lightly as she went into his room, somehow knowing that was where he would be. She glanced around the room before walking over to the closet. "Cody?" She knew he was scared and she why. He saw her kneeling there and ran into her arms.

"How about we get you into some clean clothes?" She suggested after while. "Can I pick?" She nodded and he picked out a black shirt with the bat signal on it and a cape. Just as he was pulling the shirt over his head Richard knocked on the wall by the door. "We need to leave soon or we'll be late." Rachel nodded, leading Cody out ahead of her with his teddy bear in tow. "Alright, I'm just going to change quickly and we can leave." She had put on sweatpants and a tank top when she had started cleaning earlier and wanted to change into something a bit more appropriate. Walking past her husband she kissed him on the cheek before ducking into their room.

Forty minutes later the three of them were standing on the doorstep of Wayne Manor. Cody was holding Rachels hand and the other held his bear. He tipped his head back, trying to see the top of the mansion. "It's big hewe." Richard chuckled from the other side of Rachel. "Yes, it's very big here."


	3. Chapter 3

Family

Chapter 3

It was then that the door opened, revealing Alfred in the entryway. "Master Dick, Miss Rachel, how good it is to see you both again. And who might you be?" The older butler crouched down so he was Cody's height. "Cody. And this is Teddy." He said holding the bear up by it's arm, taking a step closer to Rachel. Alfred chucked as he straightened up and moved aside so they could enter. "Master Bruce's meeting ran late, he should return shortly." Richard nodded, watching amused as Cody looked around in awe. "That's fine. We can just settle down in the living room for now." Rachel said moving towards Cody who was reaching for an old vase. Placing a hand on his shoulder, she reminded him that he shouldn't touch things like that, and that they were very old and expensive.

Cody nodded pulling his hand back and started walking down the hallway next to Rachel. Richard followed the two of them into the living room and settled down in one of the giant recliners. Rachel sat on the couch, feeling overly tired. Cody climbing up and sitting next to her, looking around the giant room.

Bruce walked in ten minutes later, stopping in the doorway as he took in the scene before him. Richard checking something on his phone in a recliner, Rachel curled up in a corner of the couch with a little boys head laying in her lap. When did they have a kid? "Richard, is there something you'd like to tell me?" The man in question jumped, dropping his phone.

After picking up his phone and sliding back into his pocket, he turned to face the man who was like a father to him. "This is Cody, we're gonna adopt him." He looked over his shoulder at Cody. "Right, you'd like to be part of our family?" Cody nodded, looking fearfully at Bruce as Rachel walked over and hugged the man. "It's good to see you Rachel, how've you been holding in?" She felt like that had a deeper meaning to it, but didn't want to get into anything at the moment. "I've been doing good, still looking for a job." Bruce looked back to where the boy had been on the couch only to find him not there. Glancing around the room he asked, "Where'd he go?"

Richard walked over to a suit of armor along the far wall that had an extra shadow. "Cody, come on out from behind that thing." He said softly, crouching down in front of the armor. He obediently stepped away from it and timidly took the hand offered. "There's someone I want you to meet," Richard said standing up and leading him over to the other two adults. Cody instantly hid behind Richards legs, clutching his bear tightly. Richard bent back down and silently picked the scared boy up, running his fingers calmingly though his hair. Rachel smiled, glad Cody wasn't freaking out like he had earlier. "Hi there, I like your shirt." Bruce smiled at the boy. Cody simply buried his face into Richards shoulder. Bruce chuckled at the boys shyness.

"Dinner is ready." Alfred announced, before leading the way to the dining hall. Setting Cody down in the seat between himself and Rachel, they all enjoyed the lovely dinner Alfred had prepared. Once everyone had finished eating Alfred reappeared collecting the dishes. "Would anyone like desert?" Cody raised his hand, looking between Richard and Rachel. "Cake?" He asked quietly. Alfred smiled. "Right away young Master Cody." Before he could leave to retrieve the cake Rachel added, "Not too much Alfred. The last thing we need is him getting sugar high." Bruce scoffed. "Somehow I can't imagine a boy as quiet and sweet as him getting sugar high." Richard smiled, tousling the boys hair as his cake was placed in front of him. "I'd rather not test that theory." Richard chucked. It never ceased to amaze Bruce how quickly kids could make a mess. In this case it involved Alfred's scratch chocolate cake getting all over Cody, his hair, and his clothes.

Rachel stood up and took the bear from his lap. "We don't want Teddy covered in cake." She said quietly as she put the bear on the table away from the mess and pulled his chair back. "How about-" Bruce knew there was something wrong the second she stopped, "Rachel!" She put a hand to her head, stumbling backwards a few steps and leaned on the wall. Richard was out of his seat in an instant. She slid down to the floor, rubbing her temples, eyes squeezed shut tight. Everyone gathered around her, Cody on his hands and knees in front of her, Richard and Bruce crouching on each side. All three worried. "Rachel?" Bruce asked.

Opening her eyes she saw four of everyone, Rachel felt her stomach churn. Closing her eyes again she swallowed the bile rising in her throat. Opening her eyes once again she focused on the floor, trying to keep her dinner from making a reappearance. "I'm okay." She said, trying to reassure herself as much as her family but she still made no move to get up. She wasn't sure yet that she'd be able to stay on her feet. "What happened?" Bruce asked putting a hand on her shoulder. Rachel stared at the floor, breathing deeply. "I'm fine." She said slowly pushing herself to her feet. Taking her hand off the wall she wavered and Richard wrapped his arms around her waist, supporting her. "No, you're not." He chastised her softly. "I'm fine Richard, really." She tried to pull away but he held tight. Cody moved and tugged gently on her hand, whimpering slightly. "I'm okay Cody." She forced a smile and tried again to get free of her husbands hold only to sigh in defeat after a minute, and lean against him. "Cody needs a bath, there's a bag in the car with pajamas for him." Richard nodded, lifting her into his arms and moving into the living room.

"Richie…what are you doing?" She asked reaching out to cup his cheek as he lowered her onto the couch. "You're going to stay on this couch while I get the bag and clean the little chocolate boy up." She smiled at him for a moment before continuing to protest. "I'm fine, I just got a little dizzy." He frowned as she tried to get up and gently pushed her back against the couch. "I mean it Rachel, stay put." And with that he turned and left to get the bag from the car.

No sooner had the he walked out of the room did Bruce walk by with a struggling Cody. "Wait, Bruce," She called out to him. He stopped but Cody continued to try and pull his hand free from the older mans grip. Slowly getting up she made her way over to them. Cody went from pulling anywhere that was away from Bruce to pulling towards Rachel. Bruce met her gaze for a moment before letting him go. He was trembling as he ran into Rachels arms. "Shh, it's okay." Looking up at her, Rachel saw fear in his eyes. "He scawy I want Teddy." She looked over at Bruce asking, "Can you go get his teddy bear, it's laying on the table?" Without a word he turned back to the kitchen. "Lets go get you in the tub." Picking him up she made her way to the spacious main bathroom, trying her hardest to keep from passing out.

Bruce found her sitting next to the edge of the in ground tub, Cody sitting next to her silently while it filled. Silently he handed the bear to Rachel as Richard walked in. "Didn't I tell you to stay on the couch?" He asked sharply. Cody visibly flinched and Bruce looked between the three of them, working out the heart of Richards irritation and Cody's fear. "Just let it go Dick, I'm in here now." She responded tiredly. Cody undressed himself and smiled when Richard poured some bubbles into the water. Rachel helped him in, knowing her husband would keep an eye on him, and closed her eyes. By the time Richard had finished washing the chocolate out of Cody's hair Rachel had fallen asleep, slumped against the corner. "I'm getting worried about her Bruce," Richard knew the older man was leaning against the wall behind him. "She's been really tired lately, and earlier in the dining room…I don't know what to make of that." Bruce watched as his son got the little boy out of the tub and wrapped him in a towel, drying him off. "She's probably just fighting something off Dick." Cody yawned as Richard helped him get his pajamas on. Once he was dressed Cody went over to Rachel, his teddy bear still resting in her lap. He started shaking her. "Wake up…pwease?" She shifted, groaning quietly.

Richard scooped him up in his arms. "Don't wake her, Rachel's tired." He explained gently. Cody whispered something that Richard thought was 'Mommy', but he wasn't positive. Rachel groaned again, slowly opening her eyes. "Why is everyone looking at me?" Bruce moved and offered her a hand off the floor which she gladly took. "You fell asleep on the floor." Bruce wrapped an arm around her waist as they walked out of the bathroom and back to the living room.

Richard sat on the couch with Rachel next to him and Cody curled up in his lap, sleeping. "I think he likes you." She teased gently. Bruce raised an eyebrow, leading the couple to sharing their suspicions that Cody had be abused by his father. He nodded, now understanding why the boy had reacted in such a negative way when Bruce had grabbed his hand before his bath. "How did you come to that conclusion?" Before Richard could say anything Rachel answered with, "I've seen and dealt with that kind of behavior before." Getting the hint that she didn't want to talk about it, Bruce changed the subject, the three of them talking well into the night.

At half past ten, Richard and Rachel said their goodbyes. Managing to get Cody buckled in his car seat without waking him, they started the drive home. "I want you to go to the doctors tomorrow Rae." She looked over at him. "I'm worried about you." She reached over for his hand and intertwined their fingers. "I'm fine Richie. I promise." She had been debating telling him that she had gotten dizzy at the house, but now there was no way she was going to tell him. He was already worried about her as it was. "I'll take Cody with me tomorrow, I think he'd like that more than visiting the doctors with you." Stopping at a red light he leaned over and placed a sweet kiss on her cheek. Not in the mood to argue with him, she leaned against the window watching the lights flying by on the other side of the glass. "Don't go to sleep on me now Rae," He squeezed her hand. Looking over at him she smiled. "I won't." He brought their intertwined fingers to his lips and kissed them as he pulled into their driveway.

Rachel turned around in her seat and looked at Cody, he was leaning against the window as she had been, using his bear as a pillow, still fast asleep. Her and Richard looked at each other. "I'll get him," Rachel said getting out and going around the car to Cody's side. "It's fine honey, I can get him." He put a hand over hers on the door handle. "Go on inside and get ready for bed." She smiled and walked away quietly adding, "I think I'll take a shower…" And with that she walked out of sight, leaving him with his thoughts. Ten minutes later Richard found her in their private bathroom, in the jacuzzi.

She looked over when she heard the door click shut. "I was beginning to think you weren't coming." A soft smile played upon her lips, which he leaned down to kiss her after he had pulled his shirt over his head. "Oh I would never pass up an opportunity to spend a little time with you in here." Shucking off his pants and boxers he slid in next to her, getting settled before pulling her into his lap. Leaning down he placed soft kisses along her shoulder, up her neck, across her jaw and finally found her lips. She moaned quietly against him as the kiss deepened and became more heated. Hands started wandering, and before long Richard was picking her up. She shivered when the cold air touched her skin, curling into his chest.

After drying them off Richard carried her over to the bed, laying her down and claiming her lips once again. A couple of hours later Richard collapsed onto the bed, Rachel curled up against him, shivering lightly. Pulling the blankets up around her, he tugged her closer tucking her head under his chin and drifted off to sleep.

Rachel groaned and rolled over, just barely awake the next morning. She felt like crap. Reaching out an arm she felt around for her husband. When she couldn't find him she pried open her eyes and glanced at the clock. Nine thirty, Cody had taken to waking her up long before then so where was he? Getting up she pulled on a pair of pajama pants and one of Richards shirts and went off looking for the little boy. Coming to the conclusion that he wasn't anywhere upstairs she made her way downstairs where a note was stuck to the fridge.

 _Rae,_

 _Brought Cody to the office with me this morning. I called the doctors office and set up your appointment for one o'clock. I'll see you when I get home from work._

 _Love, Richie and Cody_

Rachel sighed and looked at the clock, realizing it was already almost ten. Deciding she'd have a light breakfast, since she wasn't sure her stomach could handle more than that at the moment, then make a stop at the office to see Cody and Richard before her appointment. With that plan in mind she went about putting bread in the toaster, and putting on some water for tea. She still wasn't feeling any better by the time she had eaten her breakfast and gotten dressed. Suddenly grateful that Richard had made the appointment, she walked out of the house with her purse and keys in hand.

Standing in front of Wayne Enterprises Rachel couldn't help but smile. So much of her relationship with Richard had progressed here. As she entered she nodded to the men at the security desk before stepping into the elevator and taking it to the top floor. Most of the employees smiled or waved as she passed, being the wife of the C.E.O just about everyone knew her. "Morning Terra." She said to his personal secretary. The blonde looked up, "Oh, morning Mrs. Grayson, he should be in his office." She replied before going back to typing away on her computer and making a phone call.

Without knocking like everyone else would, she went into the office and put on a smile. She was determined not to let them know how badly her stomach was churning and how unstable she felt at the moment. The sight before her was amusing, Cody and Richard both crawling around the floor, small trucks in hands. As soon as she shut the door behind her, Richard immediately jumped to his feet and spun around barking, "I said I wasn't to be disturbed-" the words died on his lips when he saw his wife laughing at his outburst. Realizing he still had the blue truck in hand he blushed, turning to give it to Cody, only to see the boy trembling in fear. "You said you not mean…" Cody started backing away slowly, terror in his eyes. Rachel went to step forward but Richard put a hand up stopping her. She watched as Richard moved closer to Cody and crouched down. "I'm sorry I yelled Cody, I didn't mean to scare you." Cody took another step backwards. "Yous mean…" He said quietly. Richard shook his head. "I wasn't being mean, I was being loud. I was being very loud, wasn't I?" He nodded. "I'll try not to be so loud next time." Richard said, chuckling softly. Cody walked over to the older man and hugged him. "No mowe woud." Letting go, Cody ran over and hugged Rachels legs. She wobbled a bit as Cody grabbed her, feeling light headed. She ran her hand through his hair as Richard walked over and chastely kissed her. "What are you doing here?" She shrugged with a pained smile. "I just wanted to come see my two boys." Cody went and grabbed his trucks before running back over to the couple. "Pway twucks wif us!" She opened her mouth to respond, only to have everything around her go dark.


	4. Chapter 4

Family

Chapter 4

Richard caught her as she fell, "Rachel!" The next name he yelled was his secretaries. "Terra! Call 911!" Richard kneeled down on the floor, an unconscious Rachel still wrapped in his arms, Cody standing in front of him, crying. "They're on their way, sir." Terra said, standing by the door. Richard took a deep breath, trying to calm himself. "It's alright Cody. It's going to be alright." Barely two minutes later three paramedics ran into the office. One pushed Cody aside before working with the second to move Rachel onto the stretcher. The third was questioning Richard, who was answering while watching the first two tend to his wife. In a matter of minutes they were walking out of the office with Rachel on the stretcher. Richard turned around spotting Cody leaning on the windows, watching them load Rachel into the ambulance before speeding away. Richard grabbed Teddy off the floor near where they had been playing trucks just a few happier minutes before and walked over to the boy. He was sobbing, "They taking mommy away!" Cody saw his reflection in the glass and turned to Richard crying with his hands in the air. Richard scooped the boy up and gave him the bear before striding out of the office, pulling the door shut behind him. "Terra, I'm leaving for the day. Tell the front desk to get my car ready. Call Bruce, tell him what happened and ask him to meet me at the hospital." With that Richard started for the elevator. He rubbed Cody's back as they rode down to the first floor. "Shh it's gonna be alright. Rachel's gonna be fine. Just wait and see." Cody didn't look up from where he had his face buried in Richards shoulder.

Richard buckled Cody into his booster seat and quickly got behind the wheel. Glancing at Cody in the rearview mirror Richard sighed softly. He didn't know what to say to comfort the boy. Rachel had to be okay. She just had to be, and he couldn't let Cody or himself think otherwise. "She's going to be fine, Cody." Richard said parking the car. Opening the back door, he wiped away Cody's tears and placed a soft kiss on the top of the boys head. "She'll be fine." Richard picked him up and walked into the ER. He put Cody down but the upset boy clung to his hand as he spoke quietly to the receptionist. Getting his pass and directions to Rachels bed, he led Cody through the double security doors and to Rachels side. She was just regaining consciousness. Richard sighed in relief as he walked in, seeing her eyes flutter open. Moving quickly, he strode over to her side and wrapped her in a careful hug. "Damn it Rachel, do you really need to scare me like that?" He lectured lightly, just glad she was awake.

Cody was standing at the foot of the bed, hugging Teddy. "Mommy…?" It was barely more than a whisper. The last time he had been in a place like this he'd had to say goodbye to his mother and leave with a strange man. He never saw his mom again after that. He was scared. He had gotten quite attached to her and didn't want to say goodbye to his new mommy too. Richard looked over at him, motioning him over. "I wasn't the only one you scared Rae," Richard picked up Cody, holding him tight. She looked over at the little boy, he still had tears running down his cheeks and was snuffling. "Oh, Cody, it's okay. I'm right here, I'm going to be okay." She tried to sit up but was too weak and had to lay back down. Richard laid a hand on her shoulder and squeezed gently. "Close your eyes and rest, we're not going anywhere." Cody tensed and reached for her. "Dow't go away…" She smiled and took his hand in hers. "I'm right here. I won't go away Cody. I'm right here." A few moments later she had fallen back asleep, this time thankfully from the sedative in her IV.

Richard pulled a chair up next to the bed and took a seat, Cody in his lap, cradled against his chest. Thirty minutes later the curtain around Rachels bed parted and Bruce walked over after closing the curtain behind him. "Has she been seen by anyone yet?" Richard nodded, trying not to wake Cody who had cried himself to sleep. "They were in here about fifteen minutes ago. They asked me some questions, took some blood and are running some tests." Bruce paced across the small space. "And you don't know what caused her to black out like that?" Richard shook his head, shifting Cody slightly. Bruce frowned and walked out of their curtained off area, returning a few moments later with some nurses. When they started unhooking Rachel from the machines he got concerned. Bruce noticed the look on his face and explained, "She's going to be moved upstairs to a private room. Can you get up with him?" The way Cody was sleeping, he couldn't really get up without waking him. "No, not really. And I'd really like to let him sleep, he was crying for a good hour at least. He wore himself out." Bruce leaned down and easily shifted the sleeping boy into his arms. Cody groaned in his sleep but didn't two of them followed the nurses as they steered Rachels bed out of the ER and into a private room. Richard sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "You didn't have to do that Bruce." Bruce moved to a plush recliner in the corner and settled Cody into it, covering him with his suit jacket. "You're family Dick, _she's_ family." Richard nodded, at least in here they had privacy. "Thank you." They spoke quietly for a while about nothing in particular, Richard leaning on the railing of the bed the whole time.

It was two when Bruce offered to go get lunch. Richard woke up Cody, finding out what he wanted for lunch. The boy shrugged, rubbing sleep from his eyes. "Do you want pizza?" He nodded, holding his bear closer. Bruce nodded, but as he opened the door Richard stopped him. "Wait. Cody do you want to go with Bruce to get lunch?" Richard thought a little time away from there would do him good. "No! I wanna stay with mommy!" Bruce looked to Richard with a raised eyebrow. Richard ignored him as Cody ran to the bed, holding the bars on the railing. "Hey, it's alright. Cody you don't have to go. You can stay here." Cody looked at him over his shoulder and nodded nervously before looking over at Bruce, fear obvious in his gaze. "I'll take some pizza too," Richard stood and began pulling out his wallet. "It's fine Dick, I got it." And with that Bruce left.

Cody reached through the bars and grabbed her hand, tugging gently. "Let her sleep," the soft voice was followed by a hand being placed on his shoulder. He looked up at Richard. "She's gonna go away." Frowning Richard crouched down behind the boy as he let go of her hand and turned around, his back to the bed. "She's not going away Cody." He fisted one of his small hands, scared. "She's gonna go away." He repeated quieter. "I'm not going anywhere." A hoarse voice spoke up, causing both Richard and Cody to smile. "Hey sweetie, how do you feel?" She groaned quietly while Richard ran a loving hand through her hair. "My head and stomach hurt. Can I have some water?" Richard nodded and got a small cup of water off the rolling bedside tray as Cody reached through the bars again, reaching for her hand. She turned her head and smiled at the boy, taking his hand. "Are you being good?" Cody nodded. "He's been amazing." Richard commented as he wrapped an arm around her shoulders and helped her sit up enough to take a few sips of water before lowering her back to the mattress. Leaning down he placed a kiss on her forehead. Getting an idea that he knew Rachel and Cody would both like, Richard picked up Cody, and laid him in the bed next to Rachel, adding lightly, "Like I said earlier, I wasn't the only one you scared today."

Cody laid on the edge of the bed, looking like a deer in the headlights. Rachel smiled and wrapped an arm around him like she had done the first night he had spent at their house, putting him at ease. He happily snuggled up against her, content to just lay with her. Richard smiled and took a quick picture with his phone. Leaning on the railing of the bed he ran his fingers through her long black hair.

A few minutes later, the doctor came in. Richard grabbed Cody and moved him off the bed. "Mrs. Roth, how are you feeling?" She looked over at the doctor. "It's Grayson actually, and my stomach and head hurts." The doctor made a note on her tablet. Richard nudged Cody in the direction of the door. "Rae, we'll let you talk to the doctor and come back in in a few minutes." He thought she might be more willing to open up to the doctor without Cody standing there listening. Leaning down he kissed her quickly before walking over to the door. Cody ran up to the bed and grabbed the bars. "Dow't go away." The doctor smiled at him and laughed softly. "I promise, I'm not taking her anywhere. We're just going to talk for a little bit." Cody nodded at the doctor before walking over to Richard and leaving with him. "Cute kid," the doctor commented, pulling a rolling stool up to the bed. "So do you have any of your own ideas about why you blacked out? I have the test results back, but I want to know what you think caused this." Rachel shrugged and tugged lightly on her necklace. "I'm not really sure, I've felt a little off the last few days, but I figured I was just upset and making myself sick." The doctor raised an eyebrow curiously. "What were upset about?" Rachel blushed lightly and looked down saying, "Richard and I…we've been trying to get pregnant for a few months now but haven't had any luck and I guess it has just really frustrated and upset me." The doctor smiled and stood up. "Well it looks like your lucks changed. Congratulations, you're two weeks along." Rachel looked up, shocked. "You passed out because your blood sugar count was really low." She frowned for a moment. "I've gotten really dizzy lately, and felt like I was going to be sick…" The doctor nodded, "That's normal. Many women get brief dizzy spells early on in their pregnancy. It does fade, I promise." Rachel nodded relieved but stopped the doctor as she left. "Can you not mention this in front of my husband? I don't think I'm ready to tell him yet." She nodded and shut the door behind her. Now all she had to worry about was how to tell Richard.

Ten minutes passed before the door to her room opened again. Richard and Cody with Teddy in hand walked in, Bruce following shortly after with a pizza box in hand. "Did the doctor tell you anything?" Richard asked, pulling his chair back to the side of the bed. Taking a breath, she shook her head. She needed time to figure out how to tell him, and she wanted to do it in private. As the day slipped away Rachels dinner came, the pizza was eaten and her doctor stopped in one last time to explain that Rachel had passed out due to low blood sugar and mentioned that she would be spending the night for observation and as long as everything went well would be free to leave in the morning.

Cody was once again laying in the bed, talking quietly with Rachel when Bruce pulled Richard aside. "When did he start with that? Calling her 'mommy'?" Bruce asked quiet enough for the conversation not to be overheard by the two in the hospital bed. Richard shrugged. "I'm not really sure, I thought I heard him call her that at your house the other night when she was asleep on the floor. I've only really heard him say 'mommy' when he's talking to himself, or maybe he's talking to his bear. But I don't think he's directly called her that yet. He doesn't really call us anything, usually he'll tug on our hands or something if he is trying to get our attention." Bruce nodded thoughtfully, watching the two of them interact with each other. Richard saw Cody yawning and finally realized how late it had gotten. "Will you take him back to the manor with you?" Richard didn't plan on leaving, but he didn't want Cody to spend the night in the hospital. "If he'll come with me. He's afraid of me." Richard didn't respond but walked back over towards the bed. Cody yawned again, his eyes drooping slightly. Richard scooped him up in his arms and went and sat with him in the recliner in the corner. Rachel watched her husband with the little boy that just days before was terrified of the man, now they looked as close as ever and it warmed her heart as she wondered what he would be like with _their_ baby. "Do you think Dick will be able to talk him into leaving with me?" Bruce pulled her out of her thoughts and she tore her eyes away from her husband. "Why does he want Cody to leave with you?" She could't see a reason why the little boy couldn't go back to their house and sleep in his own bed. "I don't think Dick is planning on leaving tonight, I think he wants to stay here with you." Rachel looked back over to Cody, it was obvious to her that however Richard was trying to convince him, it wasn't working. She sighed, as much as she loved the idea of her husband staying with her she knew it wasn't a possibility with Cody.

"Richie, he needs to go home…" Rachel was sitting up in bed for the first time since she had been admitted, staring at Cody, sleeping curled up in the recliner. Bruce had long since left, originally trying to carry Cody out with him but with the fight the five year old had put up, it just hadn't been worth it. "Yeah but I don't like the idea of leaving you alone here." They had managed to lower the rail on the bed and he was currently sitting on the edge of the thin mattress. Leaning forward she took his hand in hers. "I'm a big girl. And one night apart won't hurt us." He leaned forward brushing his lips lightly across hers. "Still, doesn't mean I have to like it." Then he closed the small space between their lips, moving closer to her, wrapping his arms around her, a hand tangled in her hair. She moaned as his tongue found it's way inside her mouth. When he pulled back a few minutes later he smirked at how breathless she was. "A little something to remember me by," placing one last kiss on her lips he stood up and walked over to Cody, carefully picking him up. Unfortunately for Richard though, the movement still woke the boy up. "Go say goodnight Cody, it's time for us to head home." Richard said placing the boy back on his feet. "I dow't wanna go." He looked up at Richard clearly upset. "Cody, come here sweetie." He looked over at Rachel, sitting with her legs dangling off the side of the bed. Cody ran and wrapped his arms around her legs, not wanting another mommy to go away. "I dow't wanna weave. You will go away!" She put her hands on his shoulders. "I know you don't want to leave, but you can come back in the morning and see me. Right now it's time for you to be in bed." Her voice was light and soothing, even Richard would have believed anything she said at the moment. He shook his head. "Dow't weave me mommy, dow't go away!" It was then that he had started crying again, laying his head on her lap. Rachel looked over at her husband, her eyes asking if taking him home was worth upsetting him this much. Richard shook his head, trying to figure out why Cody insisted on thinking that Rachel would 'go away'.

Rachel picked the boy up and laid him on the side of the bed that still had the side rail up, laying down next to him. She drew light circles on his back, quietly shushing him. Richard sat in his chair next to the bed and waited patiently. After a few minutes though Cody was fast asleep. "Why is he so insistent in thinking that you're going to go away?" Rachel was laying on her side facing Richard, holding one of his hands prisoner under her cheek. "I think he watched his mother die…" Richard frowned for a moment. "He told me she went away." He pulled his chair closer to the bed. "Don't think about it right now honey, we can figure it out later. Let yourself sleep and we'll be going home before you know it." She gave him a small smile before yawning and letting her eyes close. "I love you." She murmured finally releasing his hand. Richard sat there for a few minutes, merely content to watch her sleep. After a while he walked over to the recliner and sat in it, reclining it as much as he could and finally let sleep drag him under.


	5. Chapter 5

Family

Chapter 5

The following morning had gone fairly smoothly. Paperwork was signed first thing and the three of them were back home by 10:30 that morning. Now, a month later Rachel was curled up on the window seat in hers and Richards bedroom. Richard himself was sleeping in their bed. She'd had another nightmare where she'd told Richard that she was pregnant and he'd gone off on her, beyond pissed that 'she was just giving him another ungrateful brat' to take care of and support. Leaning her head back against the wall she looked out the window and wiped the tears from her cheeks with the palm of her hand.

"Rachel," She looked towards the bed. Her husband was laying on his side, watching her. Sighing she laid her forehead on her knees. He didn't know what the nightmares were about, she couldn't tell him about that without him getting suspicious of her pregnancy. But he did know that this wasn't the first time they had kept her up at night. Turning her head, she looked at him.

He could see the sadness and, fear, in her eyes. "Rachel…" He scooted back onto her side of the bed, leaving a nice open spot for her. He watched her bite her lip before slowly getting to her feet, arms wrapped around herself as she moved towards the bed. He smiled as she slid into the bed next to him. He didn't ask her to tell him, she would when she was ready. For now he just wanted to help her get back to sleep. "It's okay Rae, don't think about it. Not tonight." He wrapped an arm around her waist to draw her closer and traced the outline of her ribcage under her shirt. She pressed her cold hands against his warm chest, one of her legs sliding between his.

His fingers stopped tracing for a moment and pulled the blankets around her shoulders. His fingers slid back under the shirt she had on and started his tracing again. She let out a breath she hadn't known she had been holding and wormed a little closer, tucking her head under his chin. "I love you sweetie." He murmured, kissing her temple before drifting back to sleep.

The next morning Rachel was gone when Richard woke up. He checked the clock and realized it was still way too early for Cody to be up. He sat up and ran a hand through his hair, looking around the room for her. Climbing regretfully out of bed, he pulled on a shirt on and went down the hall to Cody's room, sticking his head in Richard couldn't help but wonder when he starting thinking of this space as 'Cody's room' instead of the spare room. Seeing that the boy was sound asleep, he backed out and cracked the door behind him. Making his way through the house he eventually found her on the floor in the kitchen with a mug of tea, sitting under the sink with her back against the cabinets. "So are you avoiding me now?" He asked lightly as he sat down next to her. She shook her head slightly, sipping her tea. "Well I found you on the window seat in the middle of the night, and just now woke up in an empty bed much too early in the morning…Is there anything you want to tell me or talk about?"

She could hear the touch of worry in his voice and opened her mouth, looking over at him before almost instantly reconsidering it as her nightmare came rushing back to her and closed her mouth again. Richard lifted her chin, turning it so he could kiss her softly. "You can tell me anything honey." She closed her eyes, whispering, "I know, I'm just not sure how to tell you yet." He nodded, accepting that answer. He had known Rachel long enough, and been with her long enough to know that if he pushed her he would just end up sleeping on the couch.

He scooped her up without spilling her tea and brought her into the living room, settling them on the couch.

"It's gonna be an issue if Cody doesn't warm up to Bruce." Rachel said quietly curled up against Richard, her head on his chest a good hour later. He nodded as he turned the T.V. on low to watch the news. "He will, you were worried about him warming up to me too." Richard reminded her, stealing a sip of her tea, instantly regretting it. He had no idea why she loved the gross stuff. "I was _not_ worried," He leaned down and placed an interrupting kiss on her neck. "Say what you want. Whether you'll admit it or not I know you were." Looking up at him she frowned before sticking her tongue out at him. "Oh, real mature." He whispered leaning in for a kiss, teasing her tongue with his.

Wrapping her in his arms, Richard shifted her so she was laying across his lap. One hand slipped under the edge of her shirt, trailing his fingers across her stomach. She moaned softly, her hands on his chest, tugging at his shirt. "Mommy? Daddy?" Richard pulled back and couldn't help but chuckle at the quiet voices timing. Rachel sat up running a hand through her unbrushed hair and turned to where the small voice had come from. "I'm right here, Cody." She said gently pulling herself out of her husbands lap, glancing at him curiously as Cody walked over to them with his ever present teddy bear in hand. He climbed onto the couch between the adults, hugging them both in turn.

"I miss Sammy." Cody said after a few minutes of quiet. "Would you like to see her?" Richard asked pulling him into his lap. Cody looked over at Rachel, as if he needed special permission from her. She smiled though and nodded. "We could go over later today?" Rachel suggested before standing up to get more tea and start breakfast for the three of them.

Almost as soon as she had started cooking the phone rang. When it stopped on the second ring and she knew Richard had picked it up she just smiled to herself. A soft padding of feet caused her to turn and see Cody walking in with Teddy. He didn't say anything but he did give her a small smile before settling down by her feet on the floor. He was still really quiet sometimes, but Rachel tried not to let herself worry about it too much.

"Rach, Karen's on the phone for you." Richard walked in a minute later, passing the cordless phone to his wife. "I can take over breakfast." He said nudging her gently away from the stove. Placing a kiss on his cheek, she walked out of the room, talking into the receiver, "Hey Karen, how've you been doing?" Getting comfortable on the couch she listened to her best friend tell her about her trip to traveled a lot for work. Glancing up, she saw Cody sitting on the floor against the wall across from the couch, watching her. "Cody, why don't you go help with breakfast?" She put her hand over the receiver as she spoke but Karen still heard. _"Cody? Who's Cody? Are you cheating on Richard?"_ Cody didn't move. He sat there looking at her like she was going to disappear and leave him alone. "I want you…I want you mommy." She smiled softly at him as she stood up. "Karen, before you start spazzing and asking questions I need to put the phone down for a minute." She thought she heard a snort. _"As long as I don't hear you doing it this time."_ Rachel rolled her eyes before putting the phone on the coffee table and walked over to the boy, crouching down in front of him. "I'm not sick anymore Cody, I'm right here." He threw his arms around her waist and hugged her tight. "Why don't you go and help daddy with breakfast, and after we eat we can go visit Sammy." He didn't let go of her so she ran a hand through his soft hair and continued, "I'll join you in the kitchen in a few minutes, alright?" He nodded and she placed a kiss on the top of his head. She watched him go back to the kitchen with Richard before picking up the phone again. _"When did you have a kid? I haven't been gone that long!"_ Chuckling to herself, Rachel spent the next thirty minutes explaining how after the most recent negative pregnancy test they adopted Cody, and no he was not some guy that she was cheating on Richard with. Karen knew how much she wanted a family and knew that having trouble getting pregnant was really upsetting her. Just as Rachel was about to tell Karen the good news she had gotten in the hospital Cody wandered back in and tugged on her shirt. "Awe you coming?" Smiling at the boy she got off the couch. "Karen I gotta go, but we'll get together soon." She said goodbye and hung up as Cody grabbed her free hand and they walked into the kitchen together. She couldn't help but be glad he had interrupted when he did. Rachel wasn't sure she was ready to tell anyone about her pregnancy yet.

Richard knew she was debating something. They were on their way to the orphanage. She kept glancing at him, and he knew that she thought he hadn't noticed. But he had, he had also noticed the way she was chewing on her lower lip, a bad habit that she'd never been able to break. "You're gonna make your lip bleed." He stated gently, taking one hand off the wheel and taking her hand in his. When she didn't say anything he glanced her way before putting his eyes back on the road. She was looking at her free hand, blood coating the ends of some of her fingers.

"I already did." Her voice was quiet, the metallic tang of her blood on her tongue. "Mommy," Richard glanced at him in the rearview mirror before glancing back to Rachel. "That really is a bad habit Rae." She knew from the tone of his voice that he was worried. She only chewed her lip when she was seriously stressing over something. Pulling her lower lip into her mouth one last time she licked the blood from it, hating the taste it left in her mouth. Letting go of his hand she turned around and reached across the backseat and took Cody's instead. "When will we be there?" He asked squeezing her hand. "Right now," Richard answered as he pulled the car to the side of the road. He left the car running as he climbed out to unbuckle Cody and get him out of the car. "Go inside with Cody." Richard said to Rachel as she took Cody's hand in hers. "What about you? Aren't you coming in?" Rachel asked while Cody waited quietly between them. "I'll be back in an hour. I'm going to go finalize Cody's adoption papers. Then maybe we can go out to eat or something after this." Rachel looked away and nodded as Cody tugged her in the direction of the door.

The second they had stepped through the door Cody had disappeared up to the second floor in search of 'Sammy'. Rachel was currently washing her hands in the bathroom. Biting her lip nervously, she turned sideways and lifted her shirt so she could see her stomach. Laying a hand on the still flat skin, she pressed gently realizing that her stomach was harder than it use to be. She'd already noticed that two of her favorite pairs of jeans were tight and that just drove home the fact that she wouldn't be able to hide this from Richard for much longer. With a sigh, she left the bathroom and wandered around looking for Cody. When she finally found him ten minutes later she smiled seeing him happily talking with the older girl who had sat on the bench with him that day when her and Richard first took him home. "There you are," she walked over to the bed and sat down across from the two kids. "Cody was telling me how much he loves your house. I'm Samantha, by the way." The brown haired girl said. "Rachel, nice to meet you." Rachel nodded at her. Guessing, she was probably twelve or thirteen. Cody got up and put Teddy in Samantha's lap, leaving to use the bathroom. "He really trusts you, doesn't he?" Rachel asked, nodding to the bear in her lap. She nodded, "He didn't have it easy when he first came here. No one does really, but most of the other kids were really bad to him. He was smaller than most of the other kids here. I stood up for him, and he's kinda stuck to me since then." Rachel smiled. "You're a good girl Samantha. Thank you for watching out for him." She shrugged, looking at the bear in her lap. "It was nothing. He's a good kid. Shy, but a good kid."

"Guess what monkey I found in the hall?" Richard asked walking in, carrying Cody upside down. He was smiling, reaching for Rachel. She chuckled at her husbands antics as she reached for the boy. Richard stood next to the bed and let Cody slide from his arms. "Are you ready to head out kiddo?" Richard asked ruffling his hair. Cody climbed out of Rachels arms and crawled over to Samantha, knocking her onto her back and hugging her. She hugged him back just as tight. "I'll see you soon alright Cody?" He nodded against her shirt. "I miss you." He said quietly, looking up at her. "I miss you too, but you're better off with them." She nodded her head in the direction of Richard and Rachel.

Rachel bit her lip guiltily, if she wasn't pregnant she'd ask Richard if they could take Samantha in too. But with a baby coming she couldn't bring herself to do it. "Why don't you two meet us downstairs by the door in a few minutes?" She suggested, seeing that Cody wasn't quite ready to say goodbye again. Standing up she grabbed Richards arm and tugged slightly, leading him out of the room. "Do you think letting him come back here was a good idea?" She wondered quietly as they made their way to the front door. He didn't answer, instead he wrapped her in his arms. He held her close, her body molding and fitting against his perfectly. In his arms like this, she could fall asleep standing up. And if it hadn't been for the fact that she could hear Samantha's voice coming down the stairs she would have. Stepping back from Richard she watched as the teenager guided the young boy forward.

Richard placed a hand on her shoulder for a moment before moving forward and picking up Cody. He instantly tensed, pulling his bear to his chest. As Richard turned towards the door Cody waved slightly at Samantha, wishing he wasn't leaving without saying goodbye. Richard went down the steps with Rachel right next to him as they walked to the parking lot around the corner. "So do we want to go out, get a bite to eat, go home? What do we feel like doing?" She wanted nothing more right then than to take a nice long nap, but she didn't say that. "I'm good with whatever. What do you want to do Cody?" She asked as they all got in the car. She turned around in her seat to see him crying, clutching his bear. The couple shared a glance as Richard pulled out of the small lot and started home.

Later that night Richard was tucking Cody into bed while Rachel was laying on the couch. She was just about to drift off when she felt his arms sliding around her, lifting her carefully off the couch. She curled into him, nuzzling her nose against his chest as he carried her through the house. "Mhm, you're warm." She murmured tiredly, not bothering to open her eyes. She felt his chest vibrate as he laughed. "And here I thought you were asleep." She shook her head slightly and relaxed in his arms, lightly fisting the front of his shirt in her hand. He lowered her into the middle of their bed, her whimpering when his warmth disappeared. He slid into bed next to her a few moments later, in nothing but his boxers. Rolling towards him, she finally opened her eyes and looked at him. "Richie, I don't think we should bring Cody back there again." The boy had been nothing but quiet and distant since they had gotten home hours earlier. "Maybe you're right…he wasn't exactly happy when I tucked him in. He barely let me touch him." She sighed rolling onto her back, feeling like they had just taken a giant step backwards.


	6. Chapter 6

Family

Chapter 6

She couldn't keep her eyes open, the day had definitely taken it's toll on her. And Richard running his fingers across her stomach like- _wait!_ She tensed beneath him and practically shoved his hand away from her. He frowned, "What was that for? Once I start you usually won't let me stop." He was beyond confused. She didn't know what to tell him. She couldn't say that she wasn't feeling well, then he'd worry and try and make her go back to the doctors, but if she didn't stop him there was too big of a chance he'd notice that her stomach was harder than it use to be. Sitting up she turned her back to him and draped her legs over the side of the bed. "I'm just not in the mood right now. I just want to go to bed." She explained as she got up and changed out of her clothes and into one of his shirts and a pair of panties before laying down again.

Richard watched her carefully, she'd been acting really strange for the past few weeks. She was always tired lately which he supposed _might_ be from taking care of Cody during the day, then there was the fact that she hadn't been sleeping much and that morning hadn't been the first time he'd woken up early to find her not in bed. "What's going on Rach?" He asked as she rolled towards him, wearing nothing but her panties and one of his shirts. "What do you mean?" She asked playing dumb, not willing to give anything away. He sighed, if she wasn't going to tell him then he would figure it out on his own. "Nothing. Sleep well." She nodded against his chest mumbling, "Love you." He **would** figure out what was bothering her, and with that promise to himself he closed his eyes, letting sleep claim him.

The following weeks went by much the same. Richard would get up with Cody after Rachel came back to bed, they would make breakfast with Cody going and waking Rachel up when it was time for him to go to the office, then Rachel and Cody would spend the day together either running errands, spending time outside or just having a quiet day at home. By the time Richard got home dinner would usually be just about ready, and Rachel would always get overly quiet or go to their room and go to bed early.

Now two weeks later, Cody was laying on the floor coloring with the T.V. on, Rachel on the other hand was in the bathroom. She had felt like crap all morning and the smell of the burgers she had been cooking on the grill for lunch had finally sent her stomach over the edge and into the bathroom, dry heaving. Every time she thought she was okay, she would start to get up only to end up right back on her knees. "Mommy?" Cody knocked on the door. "Yes Cody," She replied in what she hoped was a normal voice. Her throat felt raw from the constant dry heaving. "Daddy wants to tawk to you." Crap. She hadn't even heard the phone ring. "Can you tell him that I'll call him back in a bit?" She could hear him relaying the message to her husband. "He said awe you alwight?" She groaned to quietly for him to hear. "I'll talk to him in just a moment Cody." Breathing deeply, she stood up and brushed her teeth. Opening the door she took the phone from Cody who looked at her nervously before running back to the living room. "Remind me to talk to him about answering the phone," was the first thing she said to her husband who chuckled lightly. "Well hello to you too." He said lightly. "Are you alright Rach, Cody said you were in the bathroom for a long time." She pinched the bridge of her nose, she had kinda been avoiding him for the past week because she had noticed the slightest bump on what use to be her perfectly flat stomach. And she knew that him being him, he would notice the small change. When she didn't answer he tried again. "Honey, were you taking another pregnancy test?" She sighed, "No **Dick**." She was beyond frustrated as the moment. "Look I need to go, I've got burgers on the grill and they should be just about ready to be flipped again. I'll see you when you get home." She ground out before ending the call.

Going outside, she went over to the grill and flipped the burgers that were just about done. Going back in the house she grabbed her phone, knowing that hanging up on Richard wasn't the best idea and that it probably just worried him.

 _Sorry I snapped, I'm just having a bad day. I love you 3_

Sending him the quick message she tucked the phone in her jean pocket and went back outside and took the burgers off the grill. "Cody, foods done." She called into the house. It was nice out and the patio was in the sun so they were going to enjoy lunch outside. Putting out plates for their burgers she glanced over when she heard the screen door open. He stood there, watching her warily. "Come here," she said lightly, pulling out a chair for her to sit in. Slowly, he made his way over to her and she sat him on her lap. "I'm sorry I yelled earlier. I know it was an accident." He had dropped a glass earlier and it had shattered on the kitchen floor. He wouldn't look at her. "You were scawy." Wrapping her arms around him, she pulled him closer and placed a kiss on the top of his head. "I know and I'm sorry. I didn't mean to scare you, I was just worried that you had gotten hurt." He looked up at her before burying his face in her shoulder, hugging her tight.

Climbing into his own chair Cody dug into his burger, enjoying it to the utmost extreme. "Cody, can you do something for me?" Rachel asked breaking the comfortable silence that had fallen as they ate. When he looked up at her she continued, "Don't tell daddy if I am in the bathroom for a long time okay?" It wasn't the first time Cody had asked why she had been in the bathroom for periods of time. "Why?" He cocked his head to the side, waiting for an answer. He wanted everything to have an answer. "Because he'll be worried, and what happens when daddy's worried?" Cody frowned, knowing the answer. "He'll get weally weally woud." She nodded. "And we don't like when he's loud." Rachel stated. She may have married him, but neither her or Cody liked his 'loud' voice as he had dubbed it that day she went to the hospital.

When Richard got home he found Cody once again coloring in the living room, his bear sitting on the floor next to him. "Hey Cody, whatcha coloring?" He made his way over to the couch and threw his suit jacket over the back of the couch. "Batman." Cody said simply, not even looking up. Richard chuckled softly, messed the boys hair a bit and went upstairs to look for his wife. Standing in the doorway to their room, he watched her struggle to zip a pair of jeans. "Aren't those one of your favorites?" He asked as he walked over to her. She immediately stopped struggling and cursed under her breath. Letting her loose fitting shirt fall to cover the top of her pants she turned to face him, cupping his face and pulling him down to kiss him erotically, distracting him. When they eventually pulled back in need of air she smiled at him. "I'll be ready in five alright?" He nodded with this easy smile on his face. "I'll go and have Cody get his shoes on."

She shut the door behind him and leaned against it with a frustrated sigh. She knew that if she wanted to be comfortable on any level tonight she would have to wear a different pair of pants. Taking off her favorite pair of jeans she went over to her dresser and pulled out a pair of black yoga pants instead. Walking out of her room, she put a smile on and ignored the anxiety growing inside her from having to continuously lie to Richard. "We ready to head over to the manor?" She asked as she descended the stairs. They'd had enough dinners at Wayne manor since Cody had come to live with them, more than they normally would've had in hope to help the boy to learn to trust that Bruce wouldn't hurt him.

The day that had been splendidly sunny just hours before had taken a turn for the worst. Thunder had been rumbling the entire ride to the manor, Cody shaking in the backseat with each clap. The torrential downpour started right after they had crossed the threshold to the manor. With Alfred suggesting that they spend the night when the flood warning was put in place, which they quickly agreed to.

Rachel pushed her chair back stood up from the dinner table, four sets of eyes landing on her as Alfred set the food down in front of them. "Excuse me," her hand flew to her mouth only after she darted out of the dining room. Running to the bathroom, she slammed the door behind her as she kneeled down in front of the toilet and emptied her stomach. It was only a moment later when she felt her hair being pulled back from her face and a hand on her back rubbing soft circles. She groaned, leaning further over the bowl as she continued to heave. When she finally sat back, familiar arms pulled her against a warm chest. He noticed how pale she was. "Honey, what's going on with you? Are you alright?" She could see her hands shaking and knew that he could feel her trembling against him. "I'm fine." She eventually managed to choke out. "Rae, I know that's not true." Pushing out of his arms, she stood up to wash her face and rinse out her mouth. Her throat burned, she couldn't stop herself from snapping at him. "If you don't believe me, then you can go back out there and finish your dinner alone." She couldn't stand having him around her at the moment. She couldn't continue keeping this from him. It was eating her up inside. Richard frowned and stood up, leaning against the wall. "Rachel, I'm not walking away. Clearly something is wrong…"

She dropped the face cloth that she had been using to wash her face in the sink. Her hands started shaking as she gripped the counter willing herself not to panic, she couldn't remember how to take a breath and started gasping. Releasing the counter she clawed at her neck, unable to figure out how to get air in her lungs. She couldn't breathe. Richard put a hand on her shoulder and turned her around. Putting his hands on her hips, he sat her on the counter next to the sink. "Just breathe Rachel," he said quietly, carefully taking her hands away from her neck. There were red marks from her nails. When he was sure she wouldn't go for her neck again he released her hands, putting his on her cheeks before sliding them slowly, gently back through her hair. He'd seen this happen before. "I'm right here Rae. Breathe, in and out. In and out. Everything is fine." He took deep slow breaths, holding her gaze. She moved a hand to his cheek, rubbing small circles with her thumb, just focusing on the feeling of the slight stubble against her skin. He put a hand over hers on his cheek and squeezed slightly, he could see the tension beginning to leave her body as she took in a deep breath, matching his own. She hadn't had an anxiety attack since the day of their wedding. She closed her eyes and leaned into his hand that had moved and was once again resting on her cheeks, breathing slowly. When her breathing had deepened a few minutes later, he closed the distance between them and wrapped his arms around her in a gentle hug as she buried her face in the crook of his neck. He felt something wet against his neck and realized she was crying.

"Mommy, whats wong?" Richard looked at the door to see Cody with Teddy in the doorway, wondering how much he had seen or even understood. "Everything's fine Cody. Why don't you go find Alfred?" Cody nodded slowly before he walked away, off in search of the butler who had quickly won him over. Richard turned back to his wife, running his hand across her back. "Rachel, sweetie?" She looked up at him before trying to slide off the counter. Richard moved his hands to the counter on either side of her, trapping her where she was. "Something is obviously bothering you," Richard started quietly, completely unsure what could be bothering her this much. "And no matter what it is, **I promise** , you can tell me." She shook her head, still not meeting his gaze. "No, you'll be mad, you'll leave me, leave us." She wouldn't meet his gaze as she wiped her tears away with the back of her hand. He laughed quietly, pressing a kiss to her forehead. "I think you're letting Cody rub off on you. I'm not going anywhere." She frowned, looking at her lap. "Richie, please?" She didn't know what she was begging for. "Why don't we go to the kitchen and hunt down a snack?" She shook her head, she didn't want food, though some part of her mind knew that if she wanted to avoid another hospital trip she should eat something. He took her hands in his and squeezed gently. "I'll tell you what, I am going to go check on Cody, and I will meet you upstairs in our room in five minutes and we are going to sit down and have a talk about what is bothering you." She sighed softly, and he knew that she had given in. "Now go on, and I'll meet you upstairs." Sliding off the counter she made her way to the door, stopping when she felt him grab her hand. "Rae, you know I love you right?" Nodding slightly she made her way out of the bathroom and started for the stairs that would eventually drop her by their room.

Richard watched her leave before looking for Cody. Unsurprisingly he found the boy on the floor in the manors library with his cars, Teddy and Alfred. "Cody, few more minutes alright buddy?" Richard asked as he crossed the room towards his son. Standing up Cody ran into Richards arms. "Is mommy awight?" Richard nodded as he sat on the couch with Cody on his lap in front of where the cars were set up. "She's fine, just worried about a few things. I'm going to go and talk to her. But you need a bath, and to get into your pajamas and get ready for bed." His eyes lit up in excitement. "We sweeping hewe?" Richard nodded again as Alfred got to his feet, clearing his throat softly. "It would be my pleasure to give Master Cody his bath and get him ready for bed, and maybe even read him a story if he can be ready quickly enough." Cody smiled, he loved having time with Alfred, it was shame he still wasn't too fond of spending time with Bruce too. Sliding out of Richards grip, Cody ran over the old butler and took his hand, tugging on it excitedly. "That would be greatly appreciated Alfred. If you need me for anything, I'll be up in my room with Rachel."


End file.
